He writes that the American film industry has "had the most difficulty coming to terms with homosexuality" of all media in the United States, and that it usually depicts gay people as either villains or victims.

[6][7] Keyes credited Altman with providing "an excellent synthesis of a wide variety of gay/lesbian issues in a satisfying blend of research and personal experience", and with showing that gay people in the United States have adapted the political process to their advantage by focusing on lobbying for civil rights, and that American society has undergone a change in its sexual behavior and values.

[6] Kirkus Reviews wrote that the book was a "discerning account of the coming of age of the gay community (with lesser attention to lesbian women)".

It expressed doubt about Altman's view that gay people are "pioneers in human relationships", but considered his bibliography "invaluable for the writings of the last decade" and credited him with covering "difficult ground with intelligence and care.

He credited Altman with providing a clear and straightforward account of the meaning of homosexuality, and analyzing "the way in which the conditions which allow the gay movement to advance also impose limitations on it."

He called its title "quirky" and suggested that it might have been chosen to appeal to the "ethnocentric" American market, and also found that Altman sometimes diverted attention from his arguments through excessive citations or digressions.

He summarized his argument in The Homosexualization of America as being that, "normality itself was being remade by the new gay affirmation, which in turn reflected the larger shifts being brought about by new social and economic forces that were shaking up old assumptions around sexuality and gender, most evident in the dramatic opening up of career possibilities for women.

"[15] The political commentator Andrew Sullivan described The Homosexualization of America as, "A pre-AIDS defense of the religious right's nightmare: a culture in which monogamy is not expected in relationships."